The Cavendish Show 2
by the-uno-and-only
Summary: Perona wants to be a guest in her favourite TV show, but Mihawk isn't so keen...A Jeremy Kyle Show parody and sequel to 'The Cavendish Show'. A little Zoro/Robin
1. The Wish

**Discaimer: I do not own anything from One Piece or Jeremy Kyle**

 **This is a sequel to _'The Cavendish Show:Does My Soul Mate Have A Son!'_ but you don't have to read the first one to understand this. Cavendish is basically Jeremy Kyle thanks to Robin's antics. This story is also more serious than the first, maybe because it was a request and Mihawk is present, but I hope it's still a little funny. For those interested, the full title of this story is 'Years Apart, His Dream is to Surpass the Man Who Could be His Father'**

 **I'd like to thank Lazy Ninja Pirate for the request! Please follow and review if you like the first chapter :)**

* * *

Inside a dark castle, an upbeat tune, joined by applause, started to play in one of the larger rooms. Perona intently stared at the source with her arms wrapped around her large teddy and her small, hanging, chin resting on the soft toy's head. She loved _The Cavendish Show._ It was her guilty pleasure watching frosty family feuds, atrocious affair accusations and most of all: romantic reunions. Perona liked watching the love between boyfriends and girlfriends that caused them to reconcile their differences. However, what she enjoyed watching most was the love between a parent and a child. Those moments when the presenter announces 'you are the baby's father' can be the warmest moments in Perona's day.

She had completely blocked out the sound of pages turning during the first part of the episode. Her eyes were beginning to feel dry from the lack of them blinking. At the sight of Cavendish riding on his white horse, white writing and phone numbers scrolling down the TV screen, and the horse galloping across a beach and not inside the studio, Perona's mind began to register the signs of the oncoming adverts.

Luckily for her, this episode was a recording and she could fast forward past the them. Her hand readily grabbed the remote. "Horo-horo-horo-horo!" Perona cackled almost evilly as the adverts flew past the small TV screen. A moody _humph_ warned her that she was laughing too loud for someone's liking. Silencing herself a little, the girl turned to the quiet man sitting on the other side of the couch. As usual, he had left his fancy hat on the desk beside him and his nose was buried in today's newspaper.

Although Perona rarely got a glance of eye contact from the serious man during her visits to his castle, the girl knew without a doubt that he somewhat enjoyed her presence. Dracule Mihawk showed his affection in his own, subtle, way. One of these ways was allowing Perona to take out an old TV from an unused room and set it up in his warm living room. And even though he was vocally unenthusiastic to record the girl's favourite shows, while she was away, he always did the action. As a consequence, Perona returned to the castle more often and stayed longer.

"Thanks Mihawk-sama," Perona said quietly while pressing her index fingers together. She felt her cheeks flush and tried to hold down any more blushing. It couldn't be helped that she felt embarrassed. As long as he understood her gratitude for doing this small thing for her, she could go back to watching her show. Mihawk immediately, yet calmly, looked up at her with an eyebrow raised. "For recording the episodes," Perona answered the unspoken question.

With a nod, he slowly looked back down at his newspaper. When he turned to the next page, Perona was sure that was the end of her embarrassment. She was wrong. "I only do it to stop your needless talking. Sadly, I have to suffer from that blonde's incessant voice instead."

"Huh?!" Perona growled, completely infuriated. She had kindly thanked him and he insulted her in return? Why did she bother sometimes with such idiotic, ungrateful and rude swordsmen! She got no respect in this castle.

Once again seeing the white horse gallop across the screen, Perona decided to focus her attention on her show again. "Cavendish's pony is _so cute_!" she exclaimed in an effort to annoy her company. She barely heard the host read the contact details for viewers to use if they wanted to be guests on his show. The young girl dreamily sighed.

"I wish I could be a guest."

"Honestly, this show is atrocious," Mihawk's voice shot through the room. "The only reason it's still on air is because of Crocodile's and Doflamingo's fiasco. It's been garbage ever since. You shouldn't want to be associated with it."

Perona's eyes widened. Digesting the fact that Mihawk had spoken so many words in little time, the pink haired girl put her thinking hat on. She had spent years with Gecko Moria and Dr Hogback who both thought they were very smart and cunning. However, upon meeting Mihawk, Perona quickly learned they weren't anything special. He was a careful warlord who wouldn't say such things to hurt her feelings. There must be more to his words.

After minutes of pondering and staring into space, a sly smile crossed Perona's face. "Old man?"

"Don't call me old man," he replied without looking up. Perona wondered if he was reading at all.

"Crocodile and Doflamingo were once warlords like you. So if you went on the show, would that episode _not_ be considered garbage?"

A short pause. "Perhaps…"

 _Bingo!_ Perona thought with laughter erupting from her mouth and she levitated above the couch. The girl needed to take a deep breath before she continued. It took a while for her laughter to settle. She was so happy.

"Hypothetically, horo-horo-horo, if you were to go on the show, what would it be about? I mean do you have any family feuds? Or do you think someone like Red-Hair has lied to you? Mihawk-sama, do you suspect of having a love child? Horo-horo-horo-horo!" Finally the man reacted by closing his newspaper. Perona excitedly watched him as he picked up his hat and swiftly walked towards the door. "Huh, Mihawk? You think you're a father? Horo…"

"I'm going to bed," the swordsman announced before closing the door behind him and leaving the poor girl's imagination to run wild.

Serious and gloomy Dracule Mihawk. In a bed with a woman. Possible baby daddy.

It was shocking to Perona that Mihawk had even hinted such a thing to her. The man would surely die carrying hundreds of secrets to his grave; he was trustworthy but secretive. Yet he was prepared to go on TV and reveal this possible secret. And he was baiting Perona to make the call like it was some sort of pizza delivery. How odd of him. Oh well, she better get to work. She needed to make a call.

It wasn't necessary to wait for the second part of the episode to end to find out the den den mushi number. She had watched so many episodes intently that it was memorised into her skull for forever. Mihawk's den den mushi was easily found on his desk.

"Good evening, you have reached _The Cavendish Show_ , how may I help you?" a familiar woman's voice answered.

"Hello…so this is the number for _The Cavendish Show_?" Perona shyly responded, unsure of herself.

"Indeed. Are you phoning for general therapy, a lie detector, a DNA test…all above?"

"Ah-ah-ha-a DNA test!" she stuttered.

"I understand. Who's being tested and for what sort of relation is the test detecting?"

Perona took a second to answer this. It actually surprised her how quickly she made the decision and how confident she suddenly felt about it. "A father and son DNA test for warlord Dracule Mihawk, greatest swordsman in the world, and pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, the future greatest swordsman in the world."

* * *

The clock chimed, alerting those within ear-shot that another pitiful hour had passed by. A pair of desperate eyes watched as a hand picked up a glass, only to put it down on the table again.

"More wine," Mihawk curtly asked.

Perona's eyes went ablaze as hot exasperation was getting to her. She specifically got up early to deal with this stubborn man but she had no plan on how to deal with him. He knew that. They'd been sitting in his dining room for ages now, having their quiet showdown. At first Perona was very enthusiastic to convince Mihawk to do as she wished but like most things in life, it was harder than she thought.

"I'll fill your glass, I'll never let it be empty ever again under my watch, ever, if Mihawk-sama agrees to leave. Now…or in 5 minutes…5 minutes max!" Perona declared, straightening her broken posture and determination filling her eyes as she slammed her hands on the table.

The warlord appeared to be considering this once-in-a-lifetime offer of having a proper houseguest. In other words: having a maid. His yellow hawk eyes studied the girl's tired black pair, searching for any weakness. He wouldn't be able to find any. Clearly she was desperate. She'd agree to any other conditions he made.

Perona felt certain she had finally got him. Of course, wine was his weak spot! Big white teeth beamed in early victory. She wouldn't've cared if she had signed a deal with the devil; she was going to be a guest on _The Cavendish Show_! Everyone was going to see her cute new dress and she had changed her perfume for the gorgeous presenter's benefit. The only thing she wasn't sure on was whether to bring her teddy or not. Would it be embarrassing? But she took him everywhere with her, what if his feelings got hurt? She knew he didn't really have feelings…but she'd still feel bad. It was perhaps too early to know the right decision.

"We'll leave in 5 minutes so you better be ready," Perona announced happily, pointing at the grandfather clock.

"No. We will not." Mihawk calmly replied, picking up his glass before Perona's hands came closer to it. He burst out of his seat. However, Perona quickly stood in front of him.

"Oh, okay then. We'll go in 10 minutes and no later!" She tried to swipe the glass but it evaded her reach again. As did Mihawk. Perona didn't even see him move, it was like he teleported past the doorway. At least he wasn't running to his wine cellar, although his stride was so fast. Perona had to run to keep up. "Mihawk-sama, we made a deal."

"You seem to misunderstand; you made an offer and this is my response. I will refill my own glass," Mihawk called.

"N-no you did that eye thing! You totally agreed!" the girl's pace increased but so did her opponent's. How could he walk so fast? "Stop fooling around! If we don't leave now we'll miss the show! You really need to buy a faster boat - it's irresponsible. We're already late…" He gave no response. "If you can't do this for yourself, then do it for him- your possible son! He's going to suffer from major abandonment issues and it'll be all your fault because you're an alcoholic!" Still no response. She got down on her knees in prayer. "If you can't do this for him, then do it for me. Please Mihawk-sama, I really wanna see Cavendish's cute pony!"

The girl felt as if she had been rambling to a wall. A very thick wall. The warlord didn't react to a word she said. Her resolve had been stamped out by shrieking silence. The killing blow being the sight of Mihawk happily picking his bottle of vintage wine. He swiftly walked past a defeated Perona, who looked like a victim of her own self-loathing attack. If Mihawk felt guilt, he didn't show it.

So deep in depression, the girl didn't hear the doorbell ring or Mihawk's order for her to answer it. However, she did hear the "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIRD BRAIN!" and the sound of broken glass, closely followed by a very serious "It's not my birthday."

Perona had a sneaky suspicion she knew who had arrived. Picking her miserable self up from the stone floor, the ghost princess stumbled towards the area of chaos. Sure enough, her suspicions were proven right. A certain yonko had his arm slung around an uncomfortable Mihawk's neck. Shanks looked too friendly to call whatever Perona was seeing as bickering. And Mihawk was being his usual 'polite' self. It was clear to anyone watching that the two were familiar and more than mere acquaintances.

"What are you doing here? And stop insisting it's my birthday. It's not," Mihawk repeated, pushing the arm off his shoulder. It was a fair question. In Perona's time staying at the castle, she had never met Red Hair. The man seemed like the type to always make a loud entrance. There must be an important reason for his visit.

"Fine…" Shanks muttered, his facial expression very similar to Straw Hat when he's annoyed. Very quickly he seemed to cheer up though and replaced his pout with a smug look. "I'm here because a little birdy asked me for a favour. So whether you like it or not, you two are coming aboard my ship."

Mihawk's eyes widened and he looked around the room, probably for his sword. "Is this about Blackbeard? I should've known he was going to-,"

"-Woah, slow down there Hawky," Shanks quickly interrupted with an apologetic look. "My visit has nothing to do with Blackbeard. But it's just as important."

"What is it then? And by any chance, do we have all day to waste guessing?"

"Oh loosen up!" Shanks said brightly, giving his host a playful shove. Suddenly his demeanour changed to somewhat serious as he whispered "I was asked to help Perona take you to _The Cavendish Show_ by _The_ Producer."

Mihawk rolled his eyes. "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Perona felt daggers stab her in the heart. Yes he was supposed to be super impressed! She was torn between wanting to giggle, scream and cry all at the same time and the mix result was quite ugly. She was not worthy to be noticed by _The_ Producer.

"Of course someone of your tastes wouldn't understand how cool the producer mystery is," Shanks muttered. Their reactions only irritated the warlord. Mihawk quietly told his new guest to close the door on his way out.

"Don't you want to find out the truth?" Perona finally shouted. The two men exchanged confused glances. "About you and Zoro duh! Although I'd love to find out who the mystery producer is too, horo-horo-horo…" The girl had started blushing again at the thought of meeting people who lived inside the small TV box. She felt so star struck.

"I'm not going," Mihawk vowed before walking away from this madness. "Make lunch, I'll be reading in my study. I warn you not to disturb me anymore with this garbage."

Perona's face fell. Garbage? Didn't Mihawk hint that he'd go on the show to help fulfil her dream? He said that it probably wouldn't be garbage if he was around and that got her excited. He had showed her a dream menu and just told her they didn't serve it anymore. That she couldn't have it. At first, Perona thought Mihawk was being stubborn out of pride but now she knew it was because of something else.

"You coward!" Perona shouted across the castle, confident that Hawk-Eye would be able to hear. "And you're an idiot, a cowardly idiot!"

"Listen, I know you're disappointed with Hawky but I'm not sure being angry at him like that is the best way little girl," Shanks said, placing his only hand on her shoulder and trying to catch her eyes.

However, Ghost Princess Perona was way too angry to listen. In her heart, she felt certain that her anger was the only way. She surprised the yonko when her body fell into his arms and seemingly fainted, then to simply see her murderous ghost form stomp out. The girl didn't react to his astonishment or his uncertainness on whether to take her physical body with them to wherever her ghost body was flying to or not. He decided to take the body.

Perona easily went through the study door. Shanks' eyebrows flew up at the sound of a crash when the girl's voice shouted 'Negative Hollow' and her evil laughter following behind it.

Unprepared to see what was through the door, Shanks carefully propped Perona's physical body against the wall like a true gentleman and then he turned the handle. It made a slight creek at the pressure.

In the room, Perona was looking happily over a bent down Mihawk. Like the loyal friend he was, Shanks immediately went to his friend's side.

"What did I say before?" Shank's glared at her.

"Don't know, don't care Red Hair," Perona honestly replied. "Now pick up Mr Grumpy and meet me at your ship while I go to get something. Your ship better be fast Red Hair."

With those kind words, the pink-haired girl left the two boys.

As far as Shanks could tell, a physical altercation hadn't taken place. But that didn't explain why Mihawk refused to separate himself from the floor. In the end, Red Hair had to be quite forceful. His ship might be faster than Mihawk's small boat but it wasn't like they had the time to cry on the floor all day.

"Come on buddy," the yonko started to say when he had Mihawk leaning against his frame for support. "This will all be over before you know it."

Their walk to the ship was painfully slow and silent. Shanks could actually feel his shoulder getting damp from Mihawk's silent tears. The pirate felt hopeful when the swordsman called his name. Honestly, he shouldn't have been expecting a positive response.

"Red Hair…"

"Yeah buddy?"

"When we get to sea…let this useless body of mine drown in the deepest parts of the ocean so I won't burden anyone ever again…What am I saying? I'm not even good enough to be eaten by the most wretched of fish…"

That night Shanks had to watch Mihawk and Perona's actions very carefully.


	2. Employee Meeting

It was a new morning and the start of a day's work for many. On a jungle island, where the renting price is cheap, was the home of _The Cavendish Show._ The audience was abuzz as it watched the stage being set-up with huge lights and crew members testing the sound. All of them had eagerly paid to get into the building and plenty were planning on savouring today's events. However, for the show to truly start, the popular presenter needed to make an appearance.

The presenter's private dress room was small and cluttered with dozens of outfits. Mirrors covered every inch of the warm walls. Usually he found it refreshing seeing his own beauty everywhere he looked but at this moment Cavendish only saw irritation in his face. He scowled even more at his own reflection.

"Finish this DNA test within half an hour?" Cavendish repeated. "My first show took a whole afternoon and three days of partying!"

The woman standing behind him looked as cool as usual. With a twist of her arms, a new pair of hands appeared out of the make-up station and smacked powder onto his face. The large amount caused a misty cloud to form that made the presenter cough. According to her, it must've not seemed like an unreasonable demand.

"And your last show took nearly three hours of discussing the meaning of life instead of your guest's issues. Our next set of guests arrived an hour late but your tardiness kept even them waiting. We have too many people lining the door for our service. We can't keep spending days on each person–"

" _The Cavendish Show_ is about quality, not quantity," he said, choosing to ignore the twitch in her eye by continuing, "And I will give the guests who sit in front of me the best quality of therapy I can provide."

Just because he was giving _some_ guests a large quantity of his time, didn't mean it wasn't quality. Cavendish was adamant. Those analytical moments talking about the sea god were essential last time.

Robin shook her head. "You're just the face of the show. We have people in the background to give trained therapy…"

Robin was still talking about something but Cavendish honestly didn't register a single word. For a moment, his heart stopped beating. The producer had made it all sound so obvious and clear but this was life-changing news to him. Finally the heavy scowl left his face as he treasured those words. When she had first arrived, Cavendish was worried about the change she presented him with and he didn't want it. Yet, half-listening to her words had taught him something. To think, all along, he had been doing his job wrong

"I'm the face of the show?" he asked, his face beaming.

Robin's eyebrows raised as Cavendish looked ready to hang on her every word. She knew that she didn't have long to respond before he filled the room with his ego.

"Yes," she started sternly, "but Cavendish remember—"

"Did you hear that Garry? I'm the face of _The Cavendish Show_!"

The cameraman timidly appeared behind his equipment with a smile. "Sure did boss."

Cavendish spun around in his chair, looking at all his dashing reflections and striking poses throughout his laughter. It was like he just drank his favourite smoothie before going out to a beach party. He knew it in his gut that today was going to be big and he was going to be way more popular on TV by tomorrow. This show was going to be great!

Somehow through his ecstasy, the presenter noticed his producer's confusion. He linked it to him knowing Garry's name. Honestly, what was so strange about him hanging out with the cameraman?

"Cavendish, listen." Robin caught his chin and attention by using her devil fruit powers. "Only spend half an hour at most with these guests. If you don't, you're no longer the face of the show. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Cavendish automatically answered. He wasn't intimidated at all by the ultimatum. He had lived the life of a pirate, a captain of his very own ship. Sometimes dangerous decisions didn't sink in too quickly.

Robin sighed at his confidence. Cavendish was not an easy man to boss around. She knew it the day she agreed to him being the host. He had helped to make the show a success and he deserved credit. Robin usually left him to it, much preferring things to sort themselves out. However, today she had decided to deal with his excessive show time. Was it really necessary?

"It's unlike you to visit the show, even if you are its producer," Cavendish remarked, fiddling with his hair and wondering whether to tie it up or not. "Is it because one of your fellow crew mates will be a guest today?"

She graced him a small smile. "Of course not," she replied, helping braid Cavendish's hair. "Remember when no one showed up for Usopp's lie detector?"

"Augh…" the presenter groaned, pressing a hand against his temple. "…don't remind me…" Every day he left his job with a smile stuck on his face; that day was the exception.

The day Cavendish found out there were much worse lies out there than Santa being real was hard to watch for many. Robin on the other hand felt it was her favourite episode. She tried to hold in her laughter at seeing her companion's tortured expression. "Sorry. I assure you, I'm just visiting to deal with our queueing crisis. I have no hidden intentions."

"Sure," Cavendish sighed, unconvinced. Were people lining their doors really that big of a problem? At least she styled his hair nicely. He'd forgive her and not declare any need for a lie detector test. "Well crisis dealt with. I suppose it's time to reacquaint myself with my audience."

"Actually," Robin paused, opening the door for him. "You should just start the show right away. To save time."

But talking to the audience was his favourite part! Especially before the show starts, when they can just talk about him. Perhaps some people, like Straw Hat, could be impolite and not know where they are but recently the number of Cavendish fangirls were growing. How could he leave them hanging dry? He was desperate to hear their voices and affection.

"You can interact with them at convenient times in the middle of the show and during the break as long as you finish announcing the DNA test results within the 30 minutes," Robin pointed out, heading towards the secret passageway that would eventually lead her to the audience's seats. She loved the mystery producer rumours and was keen not to give the public any clues while doing her job. It was a dangerous game of hide and seek. Something Cavendish knew he could not pull off.

He pouted, he grumbled and he begrudgingly crossed his arms when she wished him good luck. He didn't want to ignore the audience's cries and rush his work at all but at the end of the day Robin was the woman who changed his life. She gave him the job he loved and she could take it away. Reluctant or not, he'd have to follow her lead.


	3. Fangirl and Hater

Perona's legs felt like noodles as she walked onstage. Her dream was finally going to come true! She had to remind herself to breathe, and as she looked up at the cheering crowd Perona became aware of the ache at the corner of her lips. Her smile was so big.

The pink-haired girl was focusing so hard on not tripping up on live TV; she failed to notice a very big presence beside her. Being steered carefully towards her seat, Perona felt light-headed. And that was before her brain acknowledged Cavendish had just touched her. Her face resembled a red tomato.

"Welcome to _The Cavendish Show_ , Perona," he greeted, throwing one of his dazzling smiles.

All Perona could do was nod her head and a small giggle escaped her lips as she tried to get a hold of herself. The silent response was embarrassing but how was she to know he was even more godlike in real life? And he was so close to touch, kneeling in front of her like a knight. She felt like crying when he picked himself up from the floor and then he sat on the seat next to her. Was he aware of his influence on her or did he just think she was just a little awkward? Perona was unsure of the best option. Neither was entirely flattering so she really needed to open her mouth.

"Thanks," she eventually replied. Did it sound like a dreamy sigh? Her mind struggled to think properly and annoyed at herself, she buried her head in her teddy's as she fought to protect her dignity.

"May I ask who your companion is?" his gallant voice asked.

Perona raised her head in confuision, expecting to see Zoro storming onstage complaining he was lost. To her pleasant surprise, Cavendish was indicating her teddy. She studied the soft toy on her lap, wondering if he was wishing her luck.

"He's called Kumashi," Perona admitted, raising the teddy so Cavendish could have a better look. "I named him after my old pet bear that I had as a child." She had never told anyone this before, mostly because no one had ever asked until now. She felt a warmth in her stomache at the fact that Cavendish had.

"Kumashi," Cavendish repeated, still smiling gracefully. "What a splendid name for the cute fella'. He reminds me of my horse. Do you know the name of my dashing stallion, Perona?" Perona eagerly answered him. She was very pleased Cavendish not only noticed Kumashi but complimented him as well. The decision to bring her stuffed toy had caused Cavendish to go off on a tangent about his cute horse, Farul. She was so entranced by the details of how they met, Perona didn't hear the irritated woman in the audience cough. There was a moment of confusion though when Cavendish stopped his story and looked at the direction of the noise. Other people in the audience also seemed put out when the presenter went quiet.

Worried, Perona watched the blonde very carefully. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Not happy at all with that, the girl tried calling his name a few times before reaching out to gently tap him on the shoulder. If it was any other person, she would've been shouting in their face. Surprisingly, Cavendish's warm hand caught hers. She jumped at the sudden movement but then furiously blushed at the hand holding.

This time Cavendish seemed to smile sheepishly as he gently held Perona's hand. "I'm sorry, I just realised I was talking about myself. Let's talk about you, Perona. How did you meet the swordsmen? It must be an interesting tale if it involves a warlord and a supernova."

"Oh come on, I wanna hear the rest of the horse story," Luffy whined, needing the whole of his crew to shush him.

"I don't," Buggy shouted to his rival. "It felt like a dark twist was going to happen and sometimes… ignorance is bliss."

Jinbe growled beside the clown. "Obviously, since a horse appears on the contact info, it has a happy ending. Whatever obstacle was in their way, their friendship over came it."

"Oh yeah?" Buggy frowned, "How do you know it's the same horse?"

"What are you talking about?" Law joined in, surprisingly irritated. "I rode on the horse myself, it's definitely the same one."

"Just finish the stupid story, Cabbage! It's really not cool!" Luffy demanded, shaking his arms.

The fangirl definitely felt the disappointment of the story being unfinished. She couldn't deny it. But him holding her hand so sweetly and giving her all his attention, she could easily ignore the negativity and happily told her own tale.

"So you ended up spending two years on an island with only Zoro and Mihawk?" Cavendish concluded. "And now you're all close, I presume? Especially with Zoro since you were his personal carer."

The presenter spoke very softly. Perona didn't like what his tone was suggesting. "I suppose their was nothing pushing us apart. I see Zoro like an annoying little brother who needs looking after." Perona paused, knowing what she needed to say to make things clear. "Since Zoro's returned to his crew, a - single - girl like me can finally get on with my own life."

There, she said it. Maybe Cavendish would ask her to dinner or even better, to ride on his horse together. She was in no way romantically involved with the green-haired swordsman.

Cavendish nodded at her response. "You still live with Mihawk though, even without Zoro?"

Well, wasn't he being thorough? Perona couldn't help tilting her head at all of Cavendish's questions. She had simply forgotten why she was sat on that couch. The girl took a deep breath, fully prepared to show she had zero interest in dating Mihawk. "The castle he lives in is much to my liking so when I'm taking breaks from travelling I come back for the atmosphere. However, Mihawk acts too much like my father and always wants me to stay longer to keep the house alive and clean while ruining my fun. I'd much rather live independently…perhaps with a nice man."

Was she being too forward? His presence was making her head spin but the thought of not having it made her sad. Her hand felt cold when he let go.

"I understand Perona," Cavendish announced, a serious look in his eyes.

"You do?" her heart skipped a beat.

"Of course, your family like relationship with the two opened your eyes to them actually being related. Am I right?"

She supposed that was the truth of the matter. Not what she intended, but still true.

"I think our next guest should tell us his view on things, don't you my audience?" Cavendish asked. He was met by cheers of approval.

After he was introduced, Mihawk gracefully walked onstage, not giving the warm crowd any attention. He simply nodded to the blonde host and took his seat. The small gesture riled the presenter. One should be grateful for this kind of enthusiasm from their fans but Mihawk didn't appreciate it at all.

"Welcome to the show, sir. It's a pleasure to have such a famous man like yourself here." He probably thought he was being modest.

"Yes, I'm sure it is," Mihawk dryly replied, crossing both his arms and legs. He was guarded already and Cavendish often found those guests a challenge but Perona knew he was capable of making even Dracule Mihawk open up. However, she wasn't sure on how to support the cause and nervously looked between the two.

"Right, so you know Perona called us for a DNA test between you and Zoro, to determine if you are his father or not and after a little persuasion," Shank's laughter can be heard from somewhere in the guest room, "You've agreed to come today and let us test you. Does this mean you believe in what Perona says?"

 _Nice one_ , Perona thought, _Mihawk can't avoid a question like that!_ Cavendish was truly a legendary and charismatic man. Her shoulders breathed out for a second until they immediately tensed up again.

"No, I am merely here because of the girl," Mihawk evenly answered. He made her sound so pushy and ignorant but she wasn't! A fuse had been hit. The safest thing to do now was to hide under a chair but Cavendish was still just sitting right next to the bomb, looking astonished at the target. _Get down!_

"You jerk!" Perona shouted. "You think Zoro is your son! Don't try and make it out that you're an innocent observer, idiot!"

His yellow eyes looked at her as if to analyse her anger level. Somehow, he must've decided that whatever was at the tip of his tongue to be unworthy for the trouble it would cause. "Do you serve wine here?" he asked Cavendish instead.

Cavendish seemed to consider the question carefully before answering. "We're not supposed to but…when there's a will there's a way." The warlord nodded. He definitely had a strong will when it came to wine.

Mihawk's attention then travelled to the huge TV on stage that focused on Perona's pouting face. The bottom of the screen had white writing that read 'Years apart, his dream is to surpass the man who could be his father'. He frowned and pointed to it. "I believe you are giving me far too much credit: Zoro's dream was not influenced by me. He was already set on that path before we met."

Shrugging, the presenter waved his hand dismissively. "What were you doing the year Zoro was born?" Cavendish asked, changing the subject while glancing at the clock. They were running a little behind schedule but the host was confident that he would manage to keep his job.

"I do not need to tell you my life story." Mihawk also looked at the clock as if to taunt Cavendish's resolve. The presenter was not deterred.

"You don't need to but I'm curious about that certain time period. I'd love to learn more about the greatest swordsman in the world while I can." Cavendish commended himself for being so smooth.

"A man does not reveal his secrets just because he is asked to," Mihawk stated. "You appear to be unintellectual and a waste of my time."

"Then why are you here?" Cavendish growled, feeling hot seething rage graze his throat. It was not often someone insulted the job he prided himself on.

There was a pause as Mihawk studied his surroundings with a frown. "I do not know." The lack of emotion in those words really ticked Cavendish off. This show was like his baby but Mihawk kept acting like he was too good for it. He had had enough.

"Maybe I'm not the idiot here wasting other people's time," Cavendish suggested to the air. He didn't see the yellow eyes widen.

Taking the hint, Mihawk rose from his seat and headed for the exit. "A fair comment," was his planned last words. However, he realised a certain pink-haired girl would try to stop him.

"Don't forget the last time you tried to run away!" Perona shouted. "I'll do it old man! Right in front of everyone, I'll do it!"

If she was expecting to see fear in his face, she would've been disappointed. He did stop walking away at least. "You shouldn't be so confident that you can trick me again, girl." He waited patiently for her to use her special attack on him again.

However, Perona was hesitating. Did she really want to ignite his wrath? What would Cavendish think? Was Mihawk really here only because she was forcing him to be? She decided to let him walk and at that the presenter announced a much needed break.


	4. Reliable Friends

"Cheer up bro," Bartolomeo said. The green troll was looking for Zoro's room to ask for an important autograph when he had accidentally wandered into Cavendish's room. The sole curtain in the room was drawn and the only light source was the lit candles which focused dramatically on the presenter's empty face. Bartolomeo didn't dare question if the scented candles, surrounded by perfume and hair products, were a good idea.

Bartolomeo was very tempted to leave but the dramatic classical music, playing on Cavendish's radio, was driving him insane with worry. Cavendish hadn't moved a muscle since his surprise visitor arrived and his friend wasn't sure if he was listening at all. Bartolomeo tried physically shaking the presenter awake from whatever nightmare he was in. "It's a tough show today but you can do it Cabbage!"

Silence cast a dark shadow across the room. Cavendish hadn't reacted at all and Bartolomeo had run out of ideas. He thought about getting his senpai to help. Just as he was about to make a move, there was a knock on the door.

"Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo cried. Only his boss would know when he was needed within a second. He was truly amazing.

"Did you hear something?" a voice behind the door asked.

"Fufufu, did senpai not notice?" Another voice behind the door teasingly added. Bartolomeo recognised the second voice. His face instantly fell.

The door opened, revealing the mystery owners of the voices. Crocodile honoured Bartolomeo with one of his smiles. "Luffy-senpai did not notice."

Fists clenched, Bartolomeo was ready to throw a punch. "What are you two doing here?" he demanded to know. He took his hands out of his pockets and straightened his powerful shoulders, ready for any tricks thrown his way.

"The Producer told me to tell Cavendish his break ends in five minutes," Crocodile said, raising an eyebrow when he saw the candles placed carefully around the mirror in front of the presenter.

"The Producer spoke to you!" Bartolomeo shouted in disbelief. Crocodile only shrugged at him, completely uninterested in the hype. Even if he didn't know the real identity of the person, he wouldn't have cared about the mystery. The man had a busy life to live.

"I decided to tag-along," Doflamingo added when he was shot with Bartolomeo's questioning glare. As usual, the pink bird had a big smile plastered across his face. "Wow, someone looks like shit, fufu."

"It's a fashion statement, alright? Not that I care about a loser's opinion." Childishly, Bartolomeo stuck his tongue out.

Doflamingo's smile only grew. He swaggered towards the green-haired pirate. "I was talking about the guy playing Beethoven in the background but at least you know your place." Bartolomeo was fighting the instinct to use his barrier barrier devil fruit powers. He'd rather avoid a fight with two former warlords and sweat was dripping from his forehead as Doflamingo's whole height leered down at him.

"It's hard to tell who you're speaking to when you're wearing sunglasses indoors," Crocodile nagged.

"It's hard to tell who you're speaking to when it's as dark as this," Doflamingo defended himself, flapping his arms like a bird.

"Well to you both: get out already!" Bartolomeo ordered, pointing crossed fingers in the direction of the door. "Tell The Producer 'Cavendish will be ready when his break is over, he can count on Bartolomeo, the captain of the Barto Club, to get him there."

The messengers were sceptical and made their opinions clear as they spoke about the frozen man, but Bartolomeo was anxious to get them out the door. Doflamingo was being particularly difficult by blocking the door from being closed. It was then Cavendish decided to speak.

"I can't go out there if the possible baby daddy refuses to take part in the show." Cavendish felt defeated. The pressure had got to him big time and now he would lose his job. Why did Mihawk have to be so difficult?

Crocodile's face returned from the doorway. "Mihawk's cooled down and he's agreed to come back onstage. The ball is in your court, kid."

Suddenly, blue eyes lit up. "To have a fulfilling conclusion, I need more time. That swordsman is keeping his lips sealed but I need to know more about him before I can call Zoro onstage and announce the results. I don't know how to make this work yet…" the revived host shook the cobwebs off his clothes. He frowned at his reflection, willing his brain to come up with the solution. Not finding the answer in that mirror, his eyes searched for different angles. And then he realised. It was not his reflection but the others in the room that he had to look at. "You were both warlords with Mihawk so you've known him for a long time. Know any good stories about a woman? She probably had green hair."

The two older men exchanged glances. "Well," Doflamingo paused, pushing past Bartolomeo and walking towards the curtains. "There is this one story involving a green-haired woman with a terrible sense of direction…you remember Crocodile?"

"How could I forget," Crocodile muttered. He pulled out a chair and settled it beside Cavendish. "We'll tell you all about her." With an innocent smile, he blew out the candles.

* * *

It seemed like a miracle had occurred. Cavendish, Perona and Mihawk had all returned to the stage. They had all recovered and Cavendish looked as confident as ever. "To speed things up, Mihawk, I took the liberty of finding out your past life from reliable sources," he stated proudly.

"Oh really?" Mihawk raised an eyebrow. He was so sure Cavendish wouldn't be able to deliver what he claimed.

Threateningly, the presenter pulled out a journal from under his coat. He then put on a pair of 'reading' glasses. Clearing his throat, the story filled with heartbreak and tragedy began.

 _'A young Mihawk was supporting his struggling family by working at a bakery and delivering the baked goods on a unicycle to houses. He'd deliver to any house, day or night, no matter the distance as long as he got paid. One day, he had to deliver two jam donuts to a dark castle. At the door, nobody answered the ringing doorbell so Mihawk let himself in. Bats greeted him and chased the young Dracule into the master bedroom. In there his life changed forever. He saw a beautiful woman with long green hair, drinking a glass of wine as she watched her husband's dead body, lying on the floor, his neck slowly dripping blood like a tap. When asked, the wife told him a bat had bitten him but Mihawk knew the wife had killed her husband._

 _'Taking a jam donut, the woman informed Mihawk that he could never leave the castle again. To Mihawk's surprise, he didn't mind the arrangement. He decided he'd patiently wait for the day Maria would try to kill him. At first, Mihawk practiced with the late husband's sword so he could kill her but as time went past he fell under her bewitching spell. Mihawk knew that if he killed the woman who owned his heart, he would die as well._

 _'Instead, the two focused on enjoying the rest of their lives together, however short it may be in the lust filled haze. Mihawk had stopped practicing his sword fighting as he was happy to die so his lover could live._

 _'When the day came for their souls to part, neither was ready. Maria kindly told Mihawk to leave the castle with his life and to never return. His life belonging to her in the castle, the man felt it impossible. Furious, the woman decided to leave the island herself but she kept getting lost and ending up at the castle again. Each day she tried again and again and each day she failed. At first Mihawk found it amusing that she kept finding her way back to him unintentionally. He didn't understand her reasons for leaving him, they were in love and he'd happily spend eternity with only her. Yet seeing her trying so hard, Mihawk decided to believe their love would bring them together when she was ready. He took her to his boat and let her go, neither knowing she was pregnant and would die while giving birth to their child._

 _Mihawk felt the moment she died because his heart broke. He no longer felt anything and trained daily with his sword for the chance of dying in battle so he could join his beloved in death.'_

"Sound familiar Mihawk?" Cavendish tried to hold in his smugness.

"This is like fanfic inception," Eneru said. Nobody seemed to hear him. Mortels.

"That's so sad," Nami whispered, pulling out tissues.

Shanks was frowning with his arms crossed. "What a load of–"

" _Shhh_ , Captain," Benn Beckman whispered while covering his captain's mouth. "Now is not the time."

"What happened to Mihawk's struggling family?" Hancock asked. "He couldn't have forgotten about them."

Doflamingo happily turned to answer her. "Of course not, Maria was very rich so Mihawk sent enough money to support his family. Now they're living a life of luxury."

"If Maria loved him, why did she leave?" Rayleigh asked.

Crocodile rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious. "Maria needed to kill and drink her victim's blood to live and Mihawk was her only option on the island so she needed to look elsewhere. Not to mention she'd feel guilty dragging the guy into her world even more."

The audience kept firing questions at Crocodile and Doflamingo and they happily answered. It was only when Sanji asked Mihawk why he wasn't saying anything the process stopped. "I'm not saying anything because none of it is true," Mihawk replied. "Cavendish has been duped." The audience gasped. No one was more surprised than Cavendish. It was only Crocodile's and Doflamingo's thundering laughter that confirmed Mihawk had spoken the truth. Instead of saving time, Cavendish had wasted it.

* * *

In the guest room, Zoro watched Cavendish fight an unemotional wall. He could see the end results now: him crying beside it as he weakly hit it with tired hands. Damn fool.

"What is going on out there?" Zoro sighed. He turned to look at Robin. She had come to visit him during the break with her hands up, explaining she _might have_ made a mistake pressuring the host. She was still sitting on the couch while Zoro paced in circles around the small room. "You can't expect me to go out there and sort it."

"Don't worry, I finally have an idea but I will need your assistance." She had the audacity to smile at him. When her show was causing so much trouble. It better be a very good idea.

"You can count on me. Not like we can make this mess any worse than it already is." Zoro yawned and then cracked his neck. "But be straight with me, Robin. What do you want me to do exactly?"

"To get lost."


	5. Anger

"Is this how you usually treat your guests?" Mihawk innocently asked before sipping his drink. He admired his recently trimmed nails and once again thanked the blonde for the quick manicure.

Cavendish could not believe himself. He had resorted to plain bribery and offered the warlord wine, a manicure, a massage and even more wine. Why was it not working?

"Yes," Cavendish replied through gritted teeth.

"No you don't," Perona grumbled. Never meet your heroes.

Cavendish tried to take the comment in his stride and obliterate it at the same time. "There's a lot of episodes, you can't have watched them all, hahaha…" The look in Perona's face said otherwise. This wasn't working, time to play the wild card. "Let's welcome the last guest, I'm sure he's ready and raring to go!" Some of the audience came back to life upon hearing that.

"Isn't it too early?" Perona asked. She really didn't believe in him anymore.

"It's never too early in my opinion," Cavendish laughed nervously.

"It's never too late either," Perona countered but she was ignored.

"This next guest coming up always gets lost and he ends up in the right place anyway – Zoro is coming on the show everybody!" Instead of the usual loud cheers, there were polite claps that seemed to last forever. Eventually the claps faded when there was no sign of the green-haired swordsman. The big TV on stage then showed Zoro's empty guest room. The left open, camouflaged door leading to the outdoors and the lever beside it was suspicious.

"Oh my, who put that trap door over there?" Robin innocently asked.

"Crap, moss head got lost again," Sanji cursed while lighting a cigarette and standing up. "Better go and find him, I guess."

"Alright!" Luffy bounced up and did some stretches. "Some action!"

Cavendish nervously watched as one by one each guest got up to help look for Zoro. There wouldn't be enough time to find him, get his story and announce the DNA results. There was only 5 minutes left before he lost his job. He had to make a choice now. "Right, we'll all look for Zoro," Cavendish said. "We'll all look for him _after_ I announce the DNA test results. Is Mihawk the baby's father? Let's find out." Cavendish brought out the envelope from under his jacket and smiled brightly at the confused crowd.

" _What_?" Perona's voice shouted. "You can't announce the results now! Zoro's missing!" The girl was blowing hot air through her nostrils.

Cavendish tried shooting his fangirl with his most dazzling smile. "Ah, come on. Zoro's a strong guy, he can fight off anything. He's fine," Cavendish promised.

"You don't know that jerk!" Chopper cried. "It's a tropical jungle outside! Zoro could get poisoned by anything!"

"Really?" Robin mused. They went adventuring all the time losing Zoro. "He's never been poisoned before so I'm sure he's alright." Her reassuring words weren't effective. The whole audience were complaining and worried. Usually the studios atmosphere was more fun and less tense. _What has gotten into everyone_ , Robin wondered.

Mihawk stood from his seat, nodding at Luffy and Sanji. He then grabbed his sword, Yoru.

"Wait! Please, I will lose my job…" Cavendish begged, wanting everyone to listen. The building went silent. "I need to announce the results right now or I'll lose my job…We can all look for Zoro afterwards."

"Eh?" Perona tilted her head. "You haven't spoken to Zoro and you expect all the issues to be resolved by announcing the results now?" She pointed at Mihawk. "They need therapy." Mihawk frowned but he decided not to argue about such a preposterous thing.

"And they will get therapy," Cavendish confidently said. "After the show, they will talk to our background team. I'm just the face of the show so–,"

"…just the face of the show?" Perona repeated with wide eyes.

Cavendish eagerly nodded. "Yeah, that's right! I'm not responsible for their therapy. I'm just here to make the show look good. Since you understand now, I can announce that the baby's father is…" He started ripping the envelope open. Perona looked at it in shock. He was actually going to do it now? Mihawk, with the element of surprise, easily took the envelope from Cavendish's sweaty hands. The audible sound of paper tearing into tiny pieces could be heard from across the silent room. For effect, Mihawk then stamped on the scraps. Cavendish narrowed his eyes in irritation but he didn't look defeated yet.

Then a black object was yoinked out of his ear. Mihawk barely saw the thin string and instantly turned to look at a smug Doflamingo. "My headpiece!" Cavendish cried. Doflamingo easily crushed it in his fist, laughing. Mihawk nodded his gratitude before turning to the exhausted presenter.

"I came onto this show to make Perona happy so she could have the whole Cavendish experience; however, while Zoro may need my assistance and Perona is upset, I will not sit around and wait for you to sort it."

The entire audience all seemed to leave like sheep, eager to find their shepherd. Cavendish was frozen to the spot, staring at the ground because he couldn't bear to watch all his fans leave him. Was the situation really that serious? It still didn't make sense to him how Zoro got lost in the first place or why he felt so hated. He felt sabotaged. He lost his job. When he was certain no one else except Garry was in the room, Cavendish gazed at his audience's empty seats. His eye-lids were so heavy. He took shaky steps towards the seats and felt the torn envelope pieces under his foot. The envelope was only used for dramatic purposes. It didn't have the actual DNA test results written in it. The envelope had certainly been used dramatically today. Cavendish's eyes slowly searched for something else and his legs fell to the ground once he found it. He needed to fix it.

"Cavendish?" Perona's voice rang. He turned around in surprise. One of his fans hadn't moved from her seat. She had even stayed with him instead of look for her friend.

Ecstatic, Cavendish showed her the broken ear piece that he had picked up. "Perona, thank goodness! You have to help me out here."

From where she sat, the girl glanced at the broken object before staring at the broken person. "I loved this show," Perona said. "You made so many families happy. Why couldn't you do it for my family? Because of the pressure? Because you don't want to waste your precious show time? Because your face glued onto that big TV screen is the most important thing to you? You don't really care about your fans. You just care about yourself–"

"No, my fans are the most important thing to me," Cavendish interrupted. He wanted to explain himself. He wasn't a bad person in the slightest; people just got the wrong end of the stick and misjudged his actions. "I didn't want to lose them."

Perona gave a short nod. She needed to stay behind to figure out why her hero let his fans down. Thanks to him, she heard what she needed to hear. The ghost princess left her chair and finally headed for the exit. "Well you lost your biggest fan today. Goodbye, Cavendish."

* * *

 **To be Continued.**


	6. Dreams Do Come True

Zoro awoke from his nap when a branch fell on top of his head. Sleeping peacefully under a tree, he was perfectly shaded from the sunlight's touch. He groggily opened his eyes and studied his surroundings. Zoro was still lost in this jungle. Yesterday he was so sure he saw a trail of human footprints in the tall grass but that turned out to be a lion's den.

Today, surely today, he would find his crew. Another branch hit his head and Zoro looked up to see a smiling woman above him. He immediately got to his feet and continued to stare at her.

"Hey, I've been looking for you!" Zoro said, rubbing his sore head. Why did she always have to act so coy? You'd think she would wake him up with a less subtle method.

Robin looked down at him with a smile, not making any move to come out from the tree. There was a comfortable breeze there; it lightly brushed the sweat from her face. Zoro should really come and join her.

"That's funny," Robin replied. "Everyone's been looking for you. I'll take it as a compliment."

Her light chuckle soothed him as he watched the troublesome woman. Robin could be very eccentric but, in a way, Zoro like that about her, even if he didn't get it. A thin layer of sweat was already forming on Zoro's neck because of the heat. This place was like a sauna. If he hadn't already been stuck in the jungle for ages, he might have joined Robin up on the tree but now he really wanted to go somewhere new and drink booze with everyone. The swordsman called Robin down from the tree and she reluctantly complied. She let Zoro catch her before she landed on the ground and then they started walking with Robin leading the way.

"Well, has your idea worked?" Zoro asked. He had a feeling it hadn't if people were still out looking for him. When Zoro agreed to do anything, he didn't expect Robin to suddenly pull a lever and then end up in the middle of nowhere for days. She must've thought his surprised expression to be hilarious judging by her echoing laughter at the time.

Robin smiled at him again. Was she thinking about how wide his eyes were back then? The woman checked a mark on a tree before answering Zoro's spoken question while she looked at the beautiful, blue sky. "My idea actually worked better than I expected. Everyone stormed off stage looking for you and Cavendish was unable to finish the show in time. However, I didn't expect you to be lost for 4 days. You're full of surprises, swordsman."

"You sound pretty evil," Zoro laughed. He'd been gone for only 4 days? That was OK; he had been missing for longer than that in the past. Of course, it hadn't been intentional. He watched as Robin checked a different tree for a mark.

"Do you think I have evil intentions?" she asked. Zoro could tell by her tone she was only teasing him but he thought about it seriously anyway. Ever since Robin joined the crew, he trusted her. He found her mischievous at times but never evil. However, Zoro wished she was more straightforward at times as he often got lost in her mystery.

The two mostly walked in a comfortable silence. Every now and again, Robin checked a marking on a tree, sometimes changing their direction, while Zoro eyed the wildlife as he wondered if it was lunchtime yet. Soon, signs of human life started to show as there were footprints on the grass and banana skins lying on the ground. Zoro helped himself to the fruit up the trees, taking an extra one to give to Robin. He realised that he had been in an isolated area of the jungle for a questionable number of days. He was lucky to be found.

Suddenly, Robin stopped. They were still in the middle of nowhere according to the swordsman. He studied his surroundings twice before he noticed the lean figure approaching them.

"You found him," Mihawk said. Of course, the warlord didn't show any sign of worrying for him. He was his usual calm and collected self. Zoro was really glad to see his teacher. He hadn't realised how much he missed him until now.

"He's all yours," Robin replied, walking away from the two. She laughed at Zoro's surprise. The woman was really keeping him on his toes today.

"Huh?" Zoro uttered. "I thought we were going back to the studio together. Everybody's looking for me, right?" It was never going to be that easy. The silence said it all. Robin told him to do his best and to not hold back.

"What are you waiting for?" Mihawk vaguely asked.

Zoro had a feeling what Mihawk was suggesting. He was waiting for Robin to be a safe distance away. This would be more his style than talking in a TV studio about feelings. Once Robin had climbed up a tall tree with a strategic view, Zoro tied his bandanna around his head and drew his swords. Mihawk did the same. With the blade between his teeth Zoro was ready.

"Challenge me to duel," Mihawk demanded impatiently. He had been waiting for half a week to see how much Zoro had grown since he left for the New World.

"I was planning on it."

* * *

The camera secretly watched Cavendish's new morning routine. After finding a bush, he went to a water source to clean his hands and washed his face, maybe taking a dip as well. He would then search for some fruit hanging in the trees and prepare breakfast for him and Garry. When Cavendish was nearly finished eating, he would ask his cameraman to turn on the camera.

"Sure thing boss," Garry answered with a straight face. How could Cavendish not realise the piece of equipment was in a perfect position to watch him eat from its place in the tree?

Once his worker faked turning on the camera, Cavendish faced it. "Day 5 of 'Years apart, his dream is to surpass the man who could be his father'. We have yet to find moss head but I have a good feeling about today," Cavendish revealed, his voice filled with optimism.

"You've been saying that for the last 5 days, boss."

"Shut up Garry!" Cavendish growled with narrowed eyes.

The two then started their morning search. Cavendish had a few methods for this: climbing up a tree; calling Zoro's name; cooking delicious smelling meat…etc. So far, he only found other people, mostly Luffy smelling his bait and stealing it. Luckily, Straw Hat hadn't touched yesterday's meal. It would be perfect if it wasn't so windy today. Cavendish half-wondered what Luffy was up to. When he met other people, they mostly apologised to each other thanks to the relaxing fresh air. Sometimes people would ignore him but as the days went by and their anger faded away, it was becoming less of an occurrence. Cavendish couldn't lie though, it really hurt him that it did happen.

Cavendish was doing his best to hold back a frown when he caught a glimpse of pink hair. It was very far away but it really stood out against the green. Not wanting to lose sight of it, the blonde started running towards the bright colour. He didn't care if Garry would struggle to follow him with the big camera.

"Perona!" Cavendish called once his eyes confirmed it was really her. The girl slowly turned around, her teddy held tightly against her chest. Cavendish gave them a friendly smile while he tried to recover his breath.

"Oh, it's you…" Perona eventually said.

He couldn't read her face. He really wanted to and tried to but it was just too complicated a puzzle for him. By her silence, Cavendish guessed his presence wasn't welcome. It made him sad.

"I can see you don't want to speak," Cavendish could barely lift his heavy face, yet he didn't deserve any pity, "and I can't blame you. Sorry for disturbing you. Good luck finding Zoro."

At this point, Perona's head was hanged so low, Cavendish couldn't even see her eyes. However, he saw how tightly she was holding onto her teddy. Just as the cameraman reached the two, Cavendish confused him by turning to walk in a different direction. Garry tried to hold in his mourning quietly but he just knew he had missed gold.

Cavendish's walking pace was faster than ever. He felt so hated, and he wanted to get away from the camera. There was no path he was taking, no river he was following, he was just walking aimlessly, trying to get away from it all.

The wind pushed against him, causing his hat to blow away. His hands instantly tried to catch it but the big hat was just out of reach. Blue eyes followed it until a pair of pale hands grabbed the hat. Like a ghost, Perona appeared out of thin air, right in front of Cavendish. Her lungs were breathing hard for air. The blonde barely caught her lips mouthing words.

"Huh, did you say something?" Cavendish asked.

"I SAID YOU'RE MORE THAN JUST A FACE! You were the one who brought people together and listened to their problems…" She stared him straight in the eyes, "…I've tried to calm down. I realised I should listen to your problems. I should give you a chance…" She clumsily put Cavendish's hat on top of his head. "I owe you that much."

"Ah, thanks Perona," Cavendish said, totally taken aback. He could barely process she was talking to him, let alone what she was saying. "That's very sweet of you…It's safe to say I'll still have my job until we find moss head but after that I'll probably just go back to being a charming pirate captain. Not too shabby in my opinion. I'm kinda looking forward to having the freedom again."

Perona had watched hours of footage of Cavendish being excited and enthusiastic. She probably didn't know him as well as she thought but she felt Cavendish wasn't being honest at the moment. He was just putting on a brave face and being mature about the situation. How different things could've been for him if she hadn't phoned _The Cavendish Show_. To think it was ending. A massive part of her felt grief-stricken. She couldn't hold back a shiver.

"Are you cold?" Cavendish asked. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "The wind has really picked up."

The girl shrugged, pleased by Cavendish's chivalrous act. "I'm used to it. The wind was like this when Zoro and Mihawk would…" her voice trailed off. _They can't be_ , Perona thought. Ignoring Cavendish's curious questions and the cameraman's arrival, Perona flew to the top of a tree and excitedly called the boys over. The cameraman was very reluctant to climb a tree when he had been running frantically looking for Cavendish, but his friend kicked him up anyway.

On the top of the tree, the trio had a great view of Zoro and Mihawk fighting. Their swords were the cause of the unusual wind. "Horo-horo! Let's come closer!" Perona excitedly squealed. It had been ages since she had watched the two men duel. How strong was Zoro now? The cameraman insisted he had a pretty great view for the camera and didn't want to risk breaking it by going any closer to the fight.

"We'll leave without you then," Cavendish declared, taking glee from seeing Garry's panicked expression.

Perona held Cavendish as she flew back to the ground. She was then prepared to fly while Cavendish ran but he stopped her.

"This only works sometimes," he warned. "Farul!"

Perona's mouth dropped open when she heard the thundering hooves approaching. It took less than a minute and Perona was riding on the back of a much-loved white horse with her arms wrapped around Cavendish's waist. It was like so many of her dreams! She couldn't stop giggling.

A large group of observers had gathered around the duel. Farul easily made his way pass the formed crowd, giving Perona and Cavendish easy access to front row seats to watch the fight. Alongside them was the Straw Hats.

"They've been fighting since yesterday afternoon, non-stop," Usopp informed them.

"It's a really close fight between men," Franky added.

"They've nearly killed each other dozens of times- and nearly killed us for that matter. Good thing I'm already dead, yohoho!" Brook cried.

Cavendish nodded, grateful for any information. If the fight had been going on for so long, that explained why Luffy hadn't stolen his food. The Straw Hat captain was watching the fight silently, engrossed in it. It truly was amazing to watch. Cavendish could hear a conversation between the blades. The two were going all out, not holding back in the slightest. Zoro was determined to accomplish his life-long dream and Mihawk willed him to try. Then Cavendish heard the most important note in the conversation. It was so quiet and quick; however, Cavendish still heard it. Just before Mihawk collapsed on the ground, the blonde finally understood. Mihawk was really Zoro's father!


	7. The Results

Tired eyes finally opened to see he was back in his own bedroom. Everything hurt but Zoro didn't mind. His neck painfully twisted to see Robin sitting beside him, reading a newspaper. On the front page were photographs of Zoro and Mihawk.

"Did I win?" Zoro asked. He held in his breath, waiting in anticipation for the answer.

"Yes," Robin politely smiled at him before turning back to look at the newspaper. "Why do you ask that every time you wake up?"

 _Because I still can't believe it_ , Zoro silently thought. He was finally the greatest swordsman in the world. What are you supposed to do after accomplishing your dream? Zoro still had to make Luffy the Pirate King, and he would still train daily to get stronger, but was there room for another goal in his life now?

"Hey," he grabbed Robin's full attention again. "Tell Cavendish I want those DNA test results."

"I'll see what I can do," Robin replied before turning back to the newspaper. When she finished reading the article about _The Cavendish Show_ , she closed it. "You swordsman, may save _The Cavendish Show_ ," Robin smiled and daringly pressed a finger against Zoro's bandaged bicep. "Thank you."

Zoro felt heat rush to his cheeks and he tried not to squirm under Robin's touch. "I haven't done anything…you were the one who got me lost." Anyone could've been tricked by Robin to go down a trap door and not be able to find their way back. Why did he suddenly feel too good for his own boots then? "For a show with a lie detector, it's making you lie again."

The woman froze, obviously shocked at the accusation. However, her coy smile quickly returned. "I wasn't lying about you saving the show, our cameraman caught the moment you defeated Mihawk. The media and people wanting to sponsor us are very interested," Robin insisted. "My lies before though are for the better. Sanji gained an uncle; you and Mihawk have become closer; _The Cavendish Show_ is well loved- or at least it will be again. As long as it's doing some good, I don't mind telling white lies every now and again."

Zoro's face furrowed. "But you do mind," he stated. "I can see it. The shows done good but maybe a straightforward approach wouldn't be so bad."

Robin stared blankly at Zoro for a moment before placing the newspaper under her seat and leaned in closer to the bandaged swordsman. She rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. "You really think so?" she asked, to which Zoro nodded slightly. "I guess I could give it a try... So you just want me to go for it?"

"Yeah," Zoro answered impatiently. He wasn't sure what Robin had planned, but at least he'd know when it happened and not have to play catch up.

"OK Zoro," Robin took a deep breath. She forced her eyes to look at him, willing herself to be brave and ignore the crescendo of her heart. _Just go for it_ , Robin willed herself. The man looked oblivious.

"Zoro, I have feelings for you."

"Yeah, there we go-w-wait! Wh-what?!" Zoro stuttered. He had been prepared to support her with anything that came out of her mouth, but he had no idea it would be a…love confession.

"Is that not straightforward enough for you swordsman?" Robin laughed.

It was too straightforward for Zoro. The man was unprepared. He had been so focused on fulfilling his promise to his childhood friend, he had never considered things like romance! How was he supposed to respond? He felt lightheaded.

"Robin, you're causing Zoro to pass out!" Chopper shouted from his hiding place, behind the door, as he rushed to his patient's side. Zoro suddenly became aware of other people in the room but his head was spinning so much he couldn't focus. Was it due to his wounds?

"You better not hurt Robin, jackass!" the cook's voice threatened. Zoro struggled to come up with a reply. He just ended up frowning at the ceiling.

"Eww…" definitely Luffy's voice, "You two aren't allowed to kiss, that's Captain's orders!"

Zoro thought he heard two violent _smacks_ before Nami started shouting. "Knock it off!"

The last thing Zoro was aware of, before everything went black again, was Robin's cute laughter.

* * *

A month later, both Zoro and Mihawk had recovered from their wounds. They were back at _The Cavendish Show_ to find out the results they had been waiting so long to hear.

Cavendish welcomed back Perona as well as the men onto his stage as soon as the show started. They did a recap and watched the highlights of the past month; Mihawk finally opened up to an all-ears Cavendish and Zoro talked about his fatherless background.

"Do you want Mihawk to be your father?" Cavendish eventually asked.

Zoro wanted to grumble and to completely ignore the question. He felt embarrassed so often lately. Taking a deep breath, Zoro decided to answer honestly. "…yeah."

The presenter nodded. Having all the information he needed, he began to open the envelope. "I can now reveal that the baby's father is…not Mihawk?" Everyone in the audience gasped. Cavendish couldn't believe it himself. He felt so sure when he had watched the swordsmen fight that the DNA results would be positive.

"Mihawk is Zoro's father though!" Paulie shouted. Many in the audience agreed, although there were others – including Zoro – who looked confused. Cavendish completely understood what Paulie was getting at, and he tried to translate. "Mihawk is Zoro's father in every way except by blood, which makes their bond even more impressive. He'll always want to stand-by you, mosshead." A flustered Mihawk couldn't agree more and Zoro was smiling happily. The audience cheered. "I'm pleased to announce, due to Zoro being missing for 5 days and the swordsmen taking a month to recover, 'Years apart, his dream is to surpass the man who could be his father' is the longest episode in the history of TV, it might as well be a series!" Cavendish turned to the camera. "I'd like to thank _The Cavendish Show_ 's great audience for this past month, its great producer and to thank the people watching at home. Bye, bye everybody!"

The red light on the camera signalled the end of the show. People congratulated the stage for the great episode before they hesitantly got out of their seats. The room suddenly got colder as the wind whistled through the doors.

"Is _The Cavendish Show_ over now?" Perona asked. It was the question on everyone's mind. They knew he'd be the presenter until the DNA test results were announced and until the end of the episode, but few people knew what would happen to the show afterwards.

"Perona…" Cavendish said, his lips frowning and his eyes drooping.

The girl's heart sank. It was actually over now. No more Cavendish Show. She wasn't the only one who was trying to hold back tears. The blonde gave Perona's shoulder a comforting squeeze. Then she heard an obnoxious giggle. She looked up to see Cavendish laughing. Poor guy, he had gone hysterical.

"Your face!" Cavendish barked. "I was only joking!" Perona was very tempted to hit that pretty face now. The blonde tried to calm down. "Actually, The Producer agreed with you. How could I leave? I'm more than just a face on this show after all." Cavendish smiled but that didn't stop an angry pink-haired girl from slapping him. The audience cheered at the good news and Luffy declared a feast on him to Nami's horror. Everything was alright in the world again.

* * *

Years Later, Zoro arrived at the castle with good news and bad news. He had not known at the time it was bad news for someone or else he would have considered using a den den mushi to deliver it.

"Why can't I be Godmother?" Perona cried from her place in the bathroom. Zoro could not believe how much she was overreacting.

"I told you," he said to the door, "Robin wants Koala to be it. The kid can't have two godmothers. Stop crying already!"

Another mournful cry escaped the bathroom. "Mihawk gets to be Godfather though! Mihawk of all people! He's a selfish idiot!"

"I can hear you," Mihawk's calm voice called from somewhere in the house. "Cry outside so I do not."

"No!"

Zoro was a little excited to ask Mihawk the question and his mentor humbly accepted the role. He even offered some sweets for Zoro to give the 1 month old child to which the father infomed him he had a lot to learn about babies. Since Robin really wanted to have the christening for their child, Zoro learned to appreciate Mihawk's religious views even if he didn't share them. Mihawk said no complaints whatsoever but leave it to Perona to start causing drama.

"What can I do?" Zoro hotly asked when he heard a moody _humph_.

"Promise me that Cavendish and I can be the godparents of your next child!" Perona demanded.

"We are not planning on having more children," Zoro sternly said. He was getting a sorehead from how loud she was crying, Zoro needed to make it stop. "…Perona…will you stop crying if I tell you the real identity of The Producer?"

Welcoming quietness finally entered the castle and left Zoro at ease. When she was taking a while to respond, Zoro called Perona's name. Had the girl died in excitement overload or something?

"Is it Garry?" Perona eventually guessed.

Zoro pulled a face. "Who's Garry?" When the girl told him Garry is the cameraman, Zoro sighed and asked Perona to open the door. He would need to sit her down on a couch in the living room and keep an eye on her. This might be too much for Perona's fangirling brain to handle.

* * *

 **The End**

 **I'm planning on writing more of The Cavendish Show, so reviews are really appreciated. You can be as honest as you like, I always strive to make my stories fun :)**

 **Thanks for reading everyone!**


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